Car dumper



Dec. 22, 1953 F. s. Mocu 2,663,438 7 CAR DUMPER Filed Aug. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l H W W m {HI Ml p in.)

INVENTOR.

F. S. M CUNE CAR DUMPER Dec. 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2, 1951 f NV 21705.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 22,1953

UNITE STE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for dumping cars having a body tiltably mounted on an underframe. It is more particularly concerned with such dumping apparatus located adjacent a track and adapted to dump successive cars as they are positioned one after another at a desired discharge point. Such cars normally dump to one side, and are not themselves provided with a tilting mechanism.

In the handling of loose material i is frequently desirable to discharge such material from its conveying means at a fixed point or station. Side dump cars are quite generally used for conveying such material, these cars consisting of a body mounted upon an underirame, the latter being mounted on trucks which travel over a track. The car bodies are dumped by being tilted about an axis parallel to the track and located. near one side of the body. Such oars may be provided with integral means for tilting the car body about such axis but where it is required that the cars be dumped only at one or a small number of predetermined stations, it is cheaper to employ oars without integral dumping apparatus and make use of a stationary car dumping mechanism installed at each dumping location. Various forms of dumping mechanism of this type are well known; a widely used apparatus consists essentially of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder positioned in a pit at the side of the track. and mounted to pivot at its upper end about an parallel to the track. The piston rod is extended when fluid is admitted to the cylinder cal s a coupler at its upper end which engages the side of the car body opposite the tilting axis and as the piston rod is extended raises this side of the car body, thus discharging its contents. As such a body is tilted its load shifts to the low side and discharges therefrom, usually over the side of the car which tilts downward to form a discharge apron. This shifting of the load over on to the extended apron may overbalance the car body and cause its elevated side to pull out of the car dumper coupler. If this happens the dumping of the car is out of the control of the operator of the dumping mechanism. Attempts have been made in the past to prevent this disengagement by various forms of couplers which look to the car body. These have been rather complicated and have generally required some action by the car dumper operator both to look before dumping and unlook after dumping has been completed.

Car dumping apparatus of the type described above must, after dumping a car, be retracted o 2 moved aside far enough to clear the car and other rolling stock. This requires that the car dumper mechanism be guided in some way so that it is always clear of the cars in its retracted position but engages the car at the desired point when it is extended. Apparatus employed for this purpose in the past has been complicated and not entirely reliable.

t is an object therefore of my invention to provide a dumping mechanism which automati" cally engages the car body in such a fashion that shifting of the load as the car body is tilted, even though it tends to overbalance the car body, cannot pull the car body out of engagement with the dumping mechanism. It is another object of my invention to provide a car dumping mechanism located below the track level with means for automatically guiding it into engagement with the car body as it is raised and automati oally guiding it into a position which clears the car when it is retracted.

I have invented a car dumping mechanism which makes positive engagement with the car body as the latter is tilted so that the car body cannot become disengaged from the dumber mechanism. My dumper mechanism engages the car body before dumping and disengages itself therefrom after dumping entirely automatically with no attention from the operator and requires the use of no moving parts for this automatic feature. It is likewise automatically guided into proper position for engagement with the car body as it is extended and is likewise guided back again into the clear when it is retracted, also automatically, and without making use of any moving parts. A present preferred embod" iment of my invention is illustrated in the following drawings to which reference is now made.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a side dump car and my car dumping mechanism in re tracted position.

Figure 2 is an elevation in section through such a car in a tilted position and is an elevation of my dumping mechanism in its extended position.

Figure 3 is a partial elevation of my dumping mechanism extended to engage the car body without tilting it.

Figure 4 is a partial elevation of alternative embodiments of certain features of my invention.

In these drawings reference character l indicates generally a tiltable car body and 2 the underframe of such car. Reference character 3 in- 3 dicates the track and 4 the dumping mechanism generally.

The car illustrated is a conventional side dump car modified as will be described, the body I of which may be tilted about an axis 5 carried by the underframe 2. The car side 6 adjacent the axis 5 pivots about an axis 1 to form a delivery apron over which the load is dumped when the car body is tilted to the position shown in Figure 2.

Adjacent the track 3 is located the dumping mechanism iwhich comprises a cylinder I pivotally mounted at its upper end about an axis II carried by trunnions 12. Within the cylinder Hi is a piston, not illustrated, attached to a piston rod i3 which carries on its upper end a coupler I which is formed with an upwardly opening recess it and a rounded shoulder I! on the side adjacent the track. Recess i5 is formed with a bottom portion of uniform radius, and the effective portion of rounded shoulder i l is formed with a uniform radius. The dump car body I is provided with a bracket 2-? which extends below and outwardly t a point about midway of its length. This bracket 2e carries a projecting round pin l5 dimensioned to fit within the recess it of the coupler i5. Bracket it is also pro vided with a second projecting pin parallel to the projecting pin 25 and located adjacent pin 2I but spaced therefrom distance sufficient to permit pin ii to enter fully the recess is in coupler it? when the car body is in a horizontal position as illustrated in Figure 3. The axes of pins 2% and 22 are parallel to each other and to the axis 5 about which the car body tilts and these three axes may lie in the same plane, which is indicated by the broken line in Figure 2. The coupler i5 is also provided with a projecting pin 5- on its side remote from the track.

Adjoining the hydraulic cylinder is an upright structure 21? provided with a guide channel 2% which is open at the top and extends downwardly but inclined away from the track. This upright is positioned so that when the coupler 55 engages the projecting pin it of the car body without tilting the latter, as shown in Figure 3, the prolooting pin 25 affixed to coupler I5 is vertically above slightly beyond the opening of the guide channel 2%. Pin 25 is dimensioned to enter guide channel 2% and slide freely therein so that coupler i5 is guided downwardly and away from the car body as piston rod i3 is retracted into cylinder This retracted position is shown in Figure 1. When, however, the piston rod I3 is extended sufiiciently to tilt the car body I, pin 25 is free of channel as shown in Figure 2.

It will understood that the exact form of the projecting pin 22, the upright member 2?, its guide channel 25 and the pin 25 ailxed to the coupler I5 are matters of choice and are not confined to those specifically illustrated in Fig ures l, 2, and 3. In Figure 4, for example, the projection 22 on bracket 26 corresponds exactly in function to pin 22 in the other three figures but is shown as an angle having a, rounded corner opposite the rounded shoulder i? of coupler I5. Upright member 2? corresponds to upright member ll previously described but has its guide channel 2% in its face adjacent to coupler I5. Pin 25', which slides in channel 2%, fulfills the same function as pin previously described. The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figure 4 differs slightly from that previously described and illustrated in that the piston rod l3 rises vertically until coupler is engages pin 2!. Guide channel 25 is vertical instead of inclined as is channel 2%. The upper end of piston rod I3 is bored out and threaded and coupler I5 is provided with a threaded shank 36 which screws into the threaded body of piston I3. This provides a means for adjusting the retracted height of coupler I5 above the axis I I. A look nut 3i maintains this adjustment.

Tension springs 29-29 may be connected be tween the lower end of hydraulic cylinder I5 and the adjoining walls of the pit and serve to return this cylinder to a vertical position if it is displaced therefrom. Fluid under pressure is supplied to hydraulic cylinder it to operate the dumper mechanism by fluid conduits not illustrated, and this apparatus is controlled by valves in such fluid conduits, also not illustrated. Such fluid conduit and control means are conventional and in themselves form no part of this invention.

The method of operation of my apparatus may be understood by further reference to the attached figures. The operation commences when a car is spotted over the dumper mechanism which is retracted to the position shown in Figure 1. Hydraulic fluid is admitted to the bottom of hydraulic cylinder I!) which causes the piston rod E3 to extend. As this rod extends, guide pin 25 attached to the coupler I5 moves upwardly and toward the car along guide channel it, the hydraulic cylinder I0, meanwhile, tilting about its axis II in correspondence with the horizontal component of this motion. Figure 3 illustrates the position of my apparatus when coupler #5 has engaged pin 25 on the car body. At this point, guide pin 25 has cleared guide channel 25. It will be observed that when car body i is in a horizontal position the horizontal distance between pins 2! and 22 is su i cient to admit coupler I5 and in this position pin 22 is opposite the widest portion of the rounded shoulder 51 of coupler I5. This rounded shoulder I? also assists coupler I5 in engaging pin 2i, as coupler I 5 is normally misaligned slightly to" wards the track in order that pin 25 may readily enter the open end of the coupler recess !6. The pressure exerted by pin 22 on the rounded shoulder Il tends to move coupler 55 away from the track and into engagement with pin 2:. As fluid is admitted to hydraulic cylinder Ill the continued extension of piston rod I3 lifts car body 5 until it reaches its extreme tilted position as shown in Figure 2. As tilting proceeds, pin 22 may be considered to travel around the round ed shoulder I'I, the effective portion of which is formed. to a constant radius about the center of pin 2| when the latter is fully engaged in recess It. This travel constantly reduces the hori-- zontal distance between these pins so that coupler It: cannot pull out of engagement with pins 2i and 22'. Figure 2 makes it clear why the car body I cannot disengage itself from coupler it when the car is tilted. In this position pin 22 is well below the widest point of rounded shoulder ll of coupler I5 and disengagement is impossible without pivotal movement of coupler IE about pin 2| which is possible only if piston rod I3 moves with respect to hydraulic cylinder I0. Car body I is therefore always under the control of the operator of my dumping mechanism and the rate of discharge of material therefrom can always be varied by increasing or decreasing the amount of tilt. When the contents of car body I are completely discharged piston rod I3 is retracted within cylinder Ill and car body I is lowered to the horizontal position shown in Figure 3. Further retraction of piston rod I3 disengages coupler l5 from pins 2| and 22 whereupon guide pin 25 aflixed to, coupler i5 enters the opening of guide channel 26 and the mechanism finally reaches its fully retracted position illustrated in Figure 1. The empty car is then moved ofi and a loaded car spotted over the dumper for a repetition of the above de scribed cycle of operations.

It will be understood that although I have here described a present preferred embodiment of my invention, it is not confined thereto but is limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A car dumping mechanism for a car having a tiltable body comprising a body lifting mech anism independent of the car and terminating in a coupling member provided with an upwardly opening recess and a rounded projecting shoulder, a first projecting member on the car body adapted and arranged to engage the recess in the coupling member and a second projecting member on the car body adapted and adjusted .,o engage the rounded shoulder of the coupling member as the car body is tilted and prevent the first projecting member from pulling out of the coupling member.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 in which the recess in the coupling member has a bottom portion formed with a substantially constant radius, the first projecting member on the car body is circular in cross section, and the rounded shoulder of the coupling member is formed with a substantially constant radius.

FREDERICK S. MoCUNE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,624,323 Flowers Apr. 12, 1927 1,688,657 Repper Oct. 23, 1928 1,940,732 Schmohl Dec. 26, 1933 1,959,976 Anderson et a1 May 22, 1934 2,393,695 Kling Jan. 29, 1946 

